The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-29


Therem of Eph, and the banter of the
other negroes things were lively and exhil-
arating.
A coon hunting party spurns the conVen,
| tionalitieS of civilization such as roads ana
gates. From the start our progress was
great hurdle race over fences, bitches, ana
| logs. We plunged ON through the cornileld
with stout hearts and stumbling feet. Inc
young dallkies rushed ahead turning somer-
saults and making prize jumps like the aero
bats that they were. When they got tired
of that they unbosomed their souls in song
with the yelping of the dogs for chorus;
De ole man coon am sly ole cuss,
Git eTlong coon dog now.
En- de lady coon am leete olt WusS,
Tit erlong coon dog now.
Oh, we hunts em when de night gifts dark,
Git erlong coon dog now,
En- dey runs when dey bear de big dogs Dark
Git erlong coon dog now
But, deed, mister coon it's no use to try,
Git erlong coon dog now,
Fur when we comes out yOuse got to die,
Git erlong coon dog now.
And So on until Eph called halt He
was too old in experience to throw away all
his energy at the start. He knew that 1t
would be needed before tho night was over,
and he cautioned everybody else to that
effect. Then he proceeded to tell us about
coons A coon, he said, was the cleverest
animal on four legs He is as cunning as
fox, as patient as Job, and as strong as iron.
he had more tricks than ward politician,
and more staying powers than mule his
trail was cold and scentless. de led ms
pursuers through the thickest parts OF the
swamp and deep hollows, crosse and re
crossed streams, stopped a dozen feet from
a tree, glided up to the longest branch, and
| leaped five or six yards to the ground
again. breaking the scent and putting the
dogs to the necessity of find
ing it again. The coon had
a trick for every emergency and it must be
a very bright dog with the keenest of noses
who could follow his devious path No wise
coon ever went out on bright moonlight
night Like the sinner he preferred ways
that are dark One cause of this was his
eyesight: another, his fear of his own
shadow. "He knows huff ter sleep all day
EN- den to spend de dark nights prowlin's
arter other peoples property" said Eph.
He am a curious critter EN- sly critter
EN- he kin fight like a cornfield niger full
of whisky"
We had advanced a considerable distance
in the woods, and we were stumbling over
logs and getting caStigated by springlng
limbs and branches to such an extent that
conversation did not have the interest that
it had on clear ground. There were several
falls, of course, for our Pickering torches
did not disclose all the treacherous obstacles
in our path, and involuntary gymnastics
were the consequence. 1t was queer torch
light procession, and everything was mex
pressibly weird. But with it all was an in
tense desire to find coon.
The do rs were ahead barking spasmod-
ically. Suddenly the bark broke out into
something like a yell; then it became
stronger, louder, steader. Eph was all
action. Come on, come on. Dey've found
1, Al - ha lain
forward we went in one great dash toward
the dogs. Scratches, and falls, and mud did
not stop us. The full stimulus of the excite
ment was in our souls and we would go to
| that coon even if he were defended by four
teen companies of militia. 1t was a long
chase. The dogs seemed to go in half
dozen circles and to plunge through the
meanest part of the swamp, but we followed
as if our lives depended upon it. Eph was
ahead, and his 80 years appeared like so
many feathers on his excited head. At last
we reached a black gum tree, somewhat
| isolated in the depths of the woods The
dogs were under it barking furiously.
"Oh, amt dis luckp' said Eph. Got you
already, Mr.. Coon. Oh! Hol Ho! Hol
One o you niggers-Bill-climb de tree.
Boys, git yer clubs. Ho! Ho! Mr.. Coon!
Shake him on dis side. Good bye. Mr.
Coonl Hurry up. Now come erlong, Mr..
Coon. Wowl
The excitement was at fever heat.
The noise of the dogs, the ecstasy of
Eph, the hubbub of the boys, the applause
of us all made pandemOnium that should
have scared an ordinary coon to death. We
were all ready for the fray. Bill had climbed
we'll up in the tree.
Uncle Eph," he stopped to say, "he's a
buster"
BLESS goodnessl Shake hardl Let him
! comem
One shake; and no result. A second
shake, and down comes a mass of activity
as suddenly as one of Joves thunderbolts
1t pitches on its four legs. In twinkle
there is rush for it-men, dogs and clubs
| all against one mad, swapping coon. 1t is a
fierce combat despite its one-sidedness. The
coon fights like tiger. 1t bites one of the
| dogs, il eludes the descending clubs it bears
| its part in the melee like hero, but its
efforts cannot last; the odds are too great
and just as it pauses one brief instant for
breath club hits it squarely on the head
and leaves it dead.
Uncle Ephraim leaned back against the
tree and caught his breath. The rest of us
wiped the perspiration off our brows and
sat down on the bushes. The dogs, too
| looked as if little rest would be welcome
| That one coon had given seven men and
four dogs just about as much as they
wanted to attempt, but, thanks be to for
| tune, victory ana II pound coon were ours
Our other experiences during the night
were somewhat similar except that the
trails were more difficult and the ceons-
| there were two more-were not so large
We tramped for miles, got scratched almost
TO pieces, and became well plastered with
mud, but the excitement and the novelty
fought off wearinesS until the return home
| Ii was then that we three from the city
felt as if every bone aud muscle in our
bodies had decided TO work no more.
Tiredl We were nAarly dead. But Eph
and his fellow-dlrkies seemed as fresh
as ever, and the dogs trotted along as happy
as colts in clover time. They were used to
it and we were not. The old-time coon
hunter is very proud of bis reputation, and
he likes to weave his experiences into pleas
ant romances. He always has choice col
lection of ghost stories to draw from, and
in his midnight prowlings he meets with
strange localities, inhabited by queer beings.
His tales of the ghosts are full of interest
ing impossibilitieS. The coon is eaten mainly
by the colored people. It is a great delicacy
with them. A bill of fare that would make
IA country negro happy in the presence of an
earthquake is baked coon, sweet potatoes
and pumpkin pie. Coon has a very rich
taste. and, when properly cooked and well
| served, it is a palatable dish.
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IMPRISONED IN A TANK.
| A